Word of the Day: Qualtagh

Word of the Day: Qualtagh

Definition: The first person you see after leaving your house on a special occasion (especially New Year)

Herbert was superstitious.

He averted his eye at black cats. Was too tall for ladders. Wouldn’t let umbrellas in the house—his sniffer frogs saw to that.

On Friday 13 December, his homeopath informed him that his qualtagh would bring him good luck. About three weeks later, he staggered out of his house after a spectacular night and ran into his mum, who gave him a bacon and egg pie. And a fancy new computer. Just in case.

2 Comments

“He averted his eye at back cats.”
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Not sure what a “back cat” is, but the phrase is producing interesting resonances in my brain. Right now, I’m imagining a guy with a genetic condition that produces cute kittens: they sprout—fully formed—straight out of his back, drop to the floor, and scurry off in search of food. I’d avert my eyes, too.

Interesting fact: The back cat is the only known predator of the sniffer frog.

Wonder why that is? Although I definitely hope that it is not because sniffer frogs are caused by a genetic condition that causes amphibians to emerge from another guy’s nose. That would just be frightening!